Dobrow: How long before A’s fans turn on Beane’s philosophy?

The Green, Gold and White Lotus Rebellion has begun!

2. Concede that third base is an organizational blind spot: In his prime, Eric Chavez slew right-handed pitchers for sport and was nigh-Brooksian with the glove. Now, he’s a frustration encased in a body cast, especially when you consider the $15 million ($12M for 2010 plus a $3M buyout) he’s still owed. Sure, there’s a chance Chavez’s achy-breaky back, neck, rotator cuffs, obliques, ankles, wrists, quads, ACLs, MCLs, PCLs, LCLs, toes and ears might heal in time for spring training. That, however, assumes rapid-fire advances in torso-transplantation technology.

So it’s time to acknowledge the obvious—that Chavez can’t play competitive baseball with impaired motor function—and set about filling third base with something other than a placeholder. The A’s snared an elite third-base prospect, Brett Wallace, when they excommunicated Holliday, but his defense is largely theoretical. He’s as likely to be the long-term answer at first base or DH as at third.

I’d make a play for another organization’s lapsed prospect. Alex Gordon is rotting away in Kansas City, a pawn in the team’s endless game of Punch Selves In Genitalia. Or how about L.A. Anaheim’s Brandon Wood, still only 24 and without a place to play if the Angels re-up Chone Figgins? The Angels could use some of Oakland’s bullpen depth; the Royals could use pretty much anything the A’s will give. Neither addition would be precluded by the A’s recent signing of Dallas McPherson, who makes Cust look like a multidimensional offensive threat.